Veronica O’Keane

Men ‘must not be complacent’ about referendum vote
Current legislation is forcing lower-paid women into backstreet abortions, unions’ event is told

Tue, May 1, 2018
Sorcha Pollak

Male voters have an important role to play in the abortion referendum and must not be complacent about the importance of their vote on May 25th, trade unions have heard.

Representatives from Irish trade unions gathered in Dublin on Tuesday to mark the 2018 May Day celebrations by releasing a special edition newspaper calling on all members to vote Yes in the referendum on abortion.

From Linda Kavanagh to Tracy Harkin: A guide to who's who in Ireland's divisive abortion debate
With Ireland's landmark referendum on the Eighth Amendment looming, voices on both sides of the abortion debate are getting ­ louder. But who exactly is lining out?

John Meagher
February 4 2018

It has been a momentous week for campaigners on both sides of the great abortion debate as it was finally confirmed that a referendum would be held this summer. Friday, May 25, is thought to be the most likely day for the referendum, one that pro-choice supporters hope will forever lift the ban on abortion.

But despite a series of opinion polls that indicate that the majority of the country wants change, the pro-life side believes a large cohort of people opposed to abortion have not had their voices heard.

Mental health experts ‘shocked’ by lack of abortion in Ireland‘Every woman who travels from Ireland for an abortion – their mental health is affected’

Mon, Feb 27, 2017
by Anthea McTeirnan

“You cannot separate out the issue of having no reproductive rights from a woman’s mental health,” Veronica O’Keane, Professor of Psychiatry at Trinity College Dublin, has told the latest episode of The Women’s Podcast.

“Every single woman and girl who travels out of Ireland for an abortion – their mental health will be affected by having to take that trip. And the more vulnerable a person is in terms of their mental health, the worse trauma that is going to be for them.”